On Law's Promise: Thinking about how we Think about Law's Limits

Abstract

If law's foundational promise lies in the belief that it promotes the social good, then we need to reassess the limits of that promise. Exploring the often problematic translation of legal goods into social ones, the central claim is that the legal discipline has been limited by a “legal imperative” that manifests itself in an excessive focus upon law as a social tool and attitude of complacency in the face of law's limits. Seeking to displace this approach, the author argues for an attitudinal shift that expresses honesty about limits, greater social inquisitiveness and care about law's promise.

Citation

Priaulx, N. (2012), "On Law's Promise: Thinking about how we Think about Law's Limits", Sarat, A. (Ed.) Studies in Law, Politics, and Society (Studies in Law, Politics, and Society, Vol. 57), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 201-246. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1059-4337(2012)0000057009